All parents, guardians, teachers and members of the Woodcliff Lake community are encouraged to attend

SEPAC events. Your child does not have to have an IEP, 504 or be in special education for you to participate

and benefit from SEPAC events and activities.

Who We Are

We are a group of parents
and educators working together to help children with special educational needs
in Woodcliff Lake and provide support for their families. In response to a New
Jersey state mandate, the group formed during the 2006-2007 school year.

Our Mission and Goals

The Woodcliff Lake
Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) works for the understanding
of, respect for and support of all children with special needs in our
community.

To that end, the WCL
SEPAC will work to:

Promote a network of parents of children
with special needs in our district and throughout the region and provide a
forum to share information.

Provide a series of informational meetings
on topics of interest for families of students who receive special
education and/or educational support services.

Facilitate communication between parents and
educators of students with special needs.

Promote and support an innovative
educational environment where children with special needs have equal
access to educational opportunities and a school and community environment
where all children are encouraged to reach their full potential.

Promote the inclusion of our children with
special needs in extra-curricular activities.

Confidentiality

School records and
information related to students with special educational needs is strictly
confidential, and the WCL SEPAC does not have access to it. We advertise our event
and speakers to the entire school community via the Thursday TIPS e-mail. In
addition, the office of Special Services can send fliers directly to every
family of a child with special needs via their confidential mailing list.

Voluntary
Parent-to-Parent Network

In order to promote a
stronger parent-to-parent network, we would like to create our own contact
list. Our hope is to create a resource list of families who are willing to
share information about a particular topic, so if inquiries are made we can
point the family to someone who has some experience. Topics might include
information on a specific disability, inclusion/mainstreaming, existing support
groups in our area, play groups, sports and camp opportunities, after-school
activities and programs that are welcoming to children with special needs,
helpful websites, etc.

If you are interested in joining us,
please contact Jean Marie Haworth, Parent Coordinator, at
haydenhaworth@yahoo.com.